Axon Wireless Launches Africa’s First ‘Tap and Go’ SIM Registration

TechInAfrica — Axon Wireless, a South African tech company, has announced on Wednesday, 30 October 2019, that it has launched Africa’s first ‘tap and go’ system for mobile SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card registration.

Ivory Coast is the first country in Africa where mobile users can fill KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements by simply putting their national identity cards on a mobile phone screen and letting the agent’s pre-loaded Axon software complete the rest of the registration. The simple steps of reading and recording citizens’ identity information, SIMs are registered within 45 seconds.

“Mobile’s all about convenience and we’re extending that efficiency to the customer sign-up process. The system has been exceptionally well-received by mobile users who have historically felt inconvenienced by onerous SIM registration requirements,” Justin Lipshitz, CEO of Axon Wireless, said.

This newest development follows news that millions of Zambian mobile users have been registered over the past 9 months by over 3 000 agents using Axon’s SIM registration software, in line with the requirements of ZICTA (Zambia Information & Communications Technology Authority).

In Ivory Coast, the ‘tap and go’ system is now completely bedded down and helping mobile network operators (MNOs) comply with the country’s mobile sector regulatory regime where national SIM card registration is prioritized.

“After using South Africa as a proving ground, we took our SIM sign-up system and made it better in Ivory Coast. Now, we’re hoping South Africans will also soon have access to ‘tap and go’ SIM card registration to help ease the complexities involved in becoming a mobile customer,” Lipshitz said.

The software is loaded onto agents’ existing mobile phones to minimize SIM registration costs and also make the software flexible. This means any amendments to a particular country’s registration requirements can be easily conducted.